Lou Malnati's Pizzeria

"There are a few important things to remember when discussing deep-dish pizza, no matter where your allegiance lies. First, deep-dish is not for everyone. Second, deep-dish shouldn’t be compared to thin crust, particularly New York style slices - it’s a unique fork and knife experience. And if you’re looking for classic deep dish, Lou Malnati’s is the move. And if you want Lou Mal’s straight from the pan (you do) go to the restaurant in River North. Keep in mind that when the Wells St. location opened in 1986 River North was a neighborhood full of adult video stores, not bottle service. The point is, Lou Mal’s on Wells is from a different era, and looks like it. And we apppreciate the old school feel of a cozy bar and dining room with sports jerseys hanging on the walls. As far as the pizza goes, Lou’s is classic Chicago-style pizza. Meaning the sauce is on top with the cheese and toppings underneath. The crust is buttery and flaky, there’s a ton of cheese, and the whole thing is pretty much a gooey and delicious mess. In other words, after a trip here you might want to make sure your schedule is light the rest of the day. Food Rundown Chicken Wings Throwing a party? Get some chicken wings involved. It’s more so a buffer to keep you from eating entirely too much pizza. Choice of “BuffaLou” or “Bar-B-Lou” are both good. Malnati Salad Salad always pairs well with pizza, and the Malnati salad is the way to go. Romaine lettuce, tomatoes, black olives, mushrooms, salami, gorgonzola, romano cheese, and a sweet vinaigrette dressing. The dressing is rather sweet. Deep-Dish Pizza It’s deep. It’s filling. It’s delicious. Go with whatever toppings you like, but we generally like to get sausage or pepperoni. Thin Crust Pizza The thin crust here is actually great, and if you’re not feeling the deep dish but want pizza, then by all means get involved. If you’re ordering a few pizzas for a group of people, it’s always a good idea to get a mix of both thin crust and deep-dish. The Lou A Lou Mal’s favorite with spinach, mushrooms, and sliced roma tomatoes covered in mozzarella, romano, and cheddar cheese. No substitutions allowed with this one, so you either want it as is or you don’t." - Sam Faye

"In case wandering around in the summer heat wasn’t enough to put you to sleep, there are a couple of Lou Malnati’s near different parts of the Lakefront Trail. For the purposes of this guide, we’re going to alert you to the one near Grant Park, because there are plenty of hotels close by in case you need to take a nap after polishing off a 16” pizza." - adrian kane

"After causing a Twitter meltdown upon asking for Chicago restaurant and pizza recommendations, Roger Federer — perhaps the best tennis player ever — chowed down on Chicago deep-dish pizza at Lou Malnati’s in the South Loop earlier this week with fellow legends John McEnroe, Rod Laver, and current star Nick Kyrgios. And it appears that they loved it, as Federer and Kyrgios even took pies to go, a rep says." - Daniel Gerzina